The present invention relates to medical diagnostic imaging systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a user interface for a medical diagnostic imaging device.
Today, doctors and technicians have at their disposal a wide range of ultrasound, X-ray, nuclear, and other medical diagnostic imaging systems with which to examine patients. The capabilities of these medical diagnostic imaging systems have increased dramatically since their introduction. Spurred on by the development of inexpensive but very sophisticated, powerful, and fast processing circuitry, designers of medical diagnostic imaging systems continue to add and enhance a wide range of device functions for medical diagnostic imaging systems. Thus, for example, an ultrasound imaging system may include 2D or 3D imaging, Doppler overlay, Colorflow scans, image frame recording and playback capabilities, image annotation and archiving, zoom, panning, and the like.
The number and complexity of the device functions performed by medical diagnostic imaging system have increased to the point where many such peripheral devices include a full-sized keyboard and trackball as part of the user interface. The peripheral devices, however, increase the cost, complexity, and space required by the medical diagnostic imaging system. The keyboard, for example, is similar to that used on a home computer, and is required to direct the operation of the medical diagnostic imaging system. Doctors and technicians, however, are not computer scientists. In other words, the valuable time spent trying to understand and operate the peripheral devices of a medical diagnostic imaging system is better spent actually using the device to help a patient.
A need exists in the industry for a user interface for a medical diagnostic device that addresses the problems noted above and others previously experienced.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides, in a medical diagnostic device, an operator interface for providing operator control over device functions of the medical diagnostic device. The operator interface includes a monitor for producing an image display, a touchscreen disposed in front of the monitor, and a plurality of activation areas defined on the image display. Each device function in a device function set that implements a preselected medical diagnostic device is associated with at least one of the activation areas so that no external input other than that supported by the touchscreen is required to operate the medical diagnostic device. In addition, a processor is coupled to the touch screen for detecting a touch on the touchscreen that identifies a selected activation area. The processor then performs the device function associated with the selected activation area.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for providing operator control over a medical diagnostic device. The method includes the steps of assigning each device function in a preselected device function set that implements a preselected medical diagnostic device to at least one function activation area on an image display. Subsequently, the method monitors a touchscreen for a touch, and determines a selected activation area based on the touch and the function activation area. Once the selected activation area is determined, the method performs a device function associated with the selected activation area.